This followed an altercation with a Road Transport Department (RTD) officer over a MyKad, which was also used as an electronic toll card.
It all started on Saturday when the 66-year-old retired civil servant was travelling as a passenger with his three sons in a Proton Persona car.
About 11.10am, he saw RTD officers driving in their Toyota Fortuner patrol car along the North South Expressway (NSE), south bound.
He stuck his head out of his window and took a photo of the traffic.
The RTD officers, for some reason, flagged down the Proton, asking the driver to pull over for “causing danger to other road users”.
South Seberang Prai Police Chief Supt Shafee Abd Samad said the driver of the Proton initially did not heed the call by the RTD.
But soon after, the Proton abruptly stopped in the middle lane of the expressway at Km157 of the NSE near Juru.
Shafee said the RTD officers then asked for the driver’s identity card (MyKad), which he handed over.
He said when the driver asked the RTD officer to return his MyKad, the RTD officers refused to do so, asking him to follow them to the Jawi police station.
“They wanted the MyKad to be returned as they were using it as a Touch n’ Go card to pay the toll.
“At this point, an argument ensued between the 66-year-old man, his children and the RTD officers,” Shafee said.
Shafee said the man and his sons then followed the RTD vehicle closely to proceed to the Jawi police station.
At the Jawi toll plaza, the Proton queued up at the same toll booth as the RTD patrol car.
“The senior citizen got out and demanded that his son’s MyKad be returned so he could pay his toll, but the RTD officers refused to do so.
“As he was watching the RTD vehicle leave, the boom barrier came down where he was standing, striking him hard on the mouth.
“He lost eight of his front teeth in the incident,” Shafee said.
The RTD officers and the senior citizen then lodged separate reports at the Jawi police station later.
Shafee said the RTD officers claimed they were shoved by the man’s children and were provoked.
“The RTD officers, who were trailing them earlier, also claimed the driver had purposely braked hard, causing a near collision.”
Shafee said the case would be investigated for obstructing a public servant in discharge of his public functions under the Penal Code, which carries a two-year jail sentence or a RM10,000 fine.
He said the senior citizen was briefly arrested and let off on police bail.
It was learnt that the senior citizen’s son was the organiser of the Santai Anak Utara, a gathering of northerners that participates in activities from time to time. It was also learnt that the family of four was headed to Stadium Batu Kawan, Nibong Tebal, for a scheduled gathering at the time. The 66-year-old is a retired Perak land office officer from Pengkalan Hulu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StJKMV1iD2g